Rope Lighter, learned something

[oregon]

To begin a new rope: Char the top, business end, with a flame. This makes sparking up an ember so very easy compared to creating an ember with the rope unchared. The difference is like night vs day.

Snuff the ember by pulling the rope back thru the lighter so that the snuffer ball blocks the hole.

Finally bot a modern Rope Lighter (come with 2 spare ropes), mfg Windmill, from our Japanese friends and couldn't be happier with the quality and function:

Pics above show unenlightened, before I discovered you should char the end, ignition of the rope.

This from instructions found on Floures site for the Wind-King rope lighter:

"DIRECTIONS : The WIND-KING lighter needs no fuel-
it is the wick that burns! All you have to do is to char the top of
a new wick once by applying a match to it.
After that, all that is necessary is to raise the wick within
range of the spark wheel-about 1/4 of an inch-and turn
the spark wheel. Presto! It ignites. To extinguish, pull the
wick down thus cutting off the air, and the wick ceases to burn."

The above was found at the bottom right of this page: http://www.johnfloresgraphics.com/CLimco.html


oregon

 

[Normark]

Hey Oregon...

That is Very interesting...

Where did you get that ???

How is that little Snuffer ball held in place ??
It it attached to the main body or is it only stuck into the rope ??


That's a pretty cool little gadget...

Thanks, first time I've seen one of those...

I must have one!

ttyle

Eric
O/ST

 

[Scottman]

cool I like it.

 

[Rich_S]

Do you soak the rope in a flammable liquid first? If not, does it actually produce a flame or just an ember?

 

[straitshot]

Great! I've got to check into this. Feds and the airlines do not allow any type of lighter except Zippo types and no extra fluid. No Bics, no refillable butanes, no strike-anywhere matches, no nothing, not even in checked baggage. Only up to four books of paper matches as carry-on. So be prepared to have your emergency kit plundered if you try to board with any prohibited fire starters. This one looks like it would be immune! They may have to study it and have a conference to determine if it's a weapon. Regards, ss.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

Both my father and my uncle had one of these to light cigarettes with, about 50 years ago. Back then they didn't have the 'snuffer ball'. You just pulled the rope back into the tube and that snuffed it.

Awhile ago, someone (Ravaillac ?) on this forum posted pictures of one. Said they were available where he lived (France?). Maybe he'll jump in and provide more details.

I, too, would like to know where you purchased this.

Doc

 

[frediver]

I would like to find a source for these new lighters. I have seen the Japanese
lighters on ebay, are just to pricey for me, about $24-25.00 delivered.
I have an origiinal WWII model now.

 

[oregon]

Hey Oregon...

That is Very interesting...

Where did you get that ???

How is that little Snuffer ball held in place ??
It it attached to the main body or is it only stuck into the rope ??


That's a pretty cool little gadget...

Thanks, first time I've seen one of those...

I must have one!

ttyle

Eric
O/ST

I got it from the popular auction site, key word search "rope lighter" or http://cgi.ebay.com/FIRE-ROPE-LIGHT...goryZ595QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

The little snuffer device is stuck into the rope. Just pull the rope down and the snuffer follows. It puts out the ember and keeps the charcoal off your stuff.

oregon

 

[oregon]

cool I like it.

Simple and sweet. A real miracle that you can still find this technology today in new manufacture from Windmill Japan. Really well built. Over built. The striker wheel is the best spark generator in a striker wheel that I have ever used. It has very aggressive texturing to make sparks fly.

oregon

 

[oregon]

Do you soak the rope in a flammable liquid first? If not, does it actually produce a flame or just an ember?

The rope lighter just generates an ember. The rope is dry. I've never used flammable fluids on it. I've only just burnt the end with a flame to make lighting it easy.

oregon

 

[oregon]

Great! I've got to check into this. Feds and the airlines do not allow any type of lighter except Zippo types and no extra fluid. No Bics, no refillable butanes, no strike-anywhere matches, no nothing, not even in checked baggage. Only up to four books of paper matches as carry-on. So be prepared to have your emergency kit plundered if you try to board with any prohibited fire starters. This one looks like it would be immune! They may have to study it and have a conference to determine if it's a weapon. Regards, ss.

I've seen, online, two travel containers for lighters. One by Colibri and the other Prometheus. In the ad copy I've seen claims of TSA approval.

If I found your Rope Lighter in a TSA inspection I would put the bite on it. The only way to be sure.

oregon

 

[oregon]

I would like to find a source for these new lighters. I have seen the Japanese
lighters on ebay, are just to pricey for me, about $24-25.00 delivered.
I have an origiinal WWII model now.

I've purchased a few antique Rope Lighters off the popular auction site: key word search "trench lighter." They are not always available there. About 1/2 of the ones I've seen there don't have the snuffer ball. My guess is that they get lost over the years. You are talking WWI age. Apparently, you could use them in the trenches, because of the ember being less bright than a flame, to smoke a butt.

The antique ones are a pale comparison to the Windmill version sold by our Japanese friends. It is a marvel. The antiques don't throw many sparks and where do you get the ropes? If you get the Windmill version get extra ropes. It comes with one in place, two spares and I got 2 extra spares when I bot mine.

oregon

 

[oregon]

If you find the Rope Lighters interesting them you might get a kick out of Bart's find which uses a platinum catalyst to ignite methanol: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=169625

Wow.

oregon

 

[oregon]

Striker wheel comparison photo:

From left to right: new Windmill, antique Bowers, antique unknown

The new production Windmill Rope Lighter, from our Japanese friends is hugely more efficient at throwing sparks, thank to the shark's teeth surface, compared to antiques.

oregon

 

[ajcz]

what kind of rope does it use?

 

[oregon]

They use cotton rope. Burns slow. Blow on the ember and it grows slowly in all directions. The ember does not run away here and there. It stays in one spot.

Try it yourself. Take a cotton ball and shoot some sparks into it. Be ready for fire!

oregon

 

[frediver]

Do you have any link to the manufacture of the windmill lighter? I have spent hours looking for a windmill sight that manufactures this lighter and no luck.
Thanks<><>

 

[2dogs]

Cool. I have never seen one of these before.

 

[oregon]

Do you have any link to the manufacture of the windmill lighter? I have spent hours looking for a windmill sight that manufactures this lighter and no luck.
Thanks<><>

Unfortunately, no I don't have any way to contact the manufacturer. It seems strange to me but Japan is closed to online searching in a way that even China is not.

All the best,

oregon

 

[oregon]

Cool. I have never seen one of these before.

My guess is that you are in the majority.

The rope lighter fascinates me. Does really function as a low light soldiers friend? It seems to me that throwing sparks would be enough to give away your position and target you for incoming. I wonder if this low light business was just a marketing tool without merit.

oregon